Eniola Aluko disappointed by lack of support from teammates

She says she has had no communication from her international team-mates, except for those she plays with at Chelsea

09/11/2017 12:00 PM

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PICTURED: Eniola Aluko

ENIOLA ALUKO has said she is 'disappointed and surprised' by the lack of support she has received from her England team-mates over her allegations against former Lionesses manager Mark Sampson.

After three inquiries, Sampson was found to have used discriminatory language to two players, Aluko and Drew Spence, prompting the FA to apologise for their handling of the case, adding there was "much to learn from this episode".

Following the inquiries, Aluko says she has spoken to her international team-mates at Chelsea but has heard very little beyond that.

Speaking to BBC Sport she said: "I've had a lot of support from other countries: Norway, Sweden, France, particularly the United States girls.

"In their case they have Megan Rapinoe taking a knee in protest at the treatment of black people in America, while others sing the national anthem.

"That was discussed among the team, and while some players didn't agree with her stance, they still respected it. That's what we need to learn from. I should not be sat here saying I haven't had any communication from my team-mates, bar the Chelsea girls.

"We need to look at other examples and ask why this isn't happening with a team ranked third in the world. Is the togetherness we keep banging on about actually being put into action or is it just a hashtag on Twitter?

"Unless we do that, I don't think we can achieve what we really want to."

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Posted on: 09/11/2017 12:00 PM

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